The present disclosure relates, in general, to fluid couplings used to fluidically couple one or more fluid components together and, more specifically, to test caps used in building plumbing.
In plumbing, copper pipes are mounted within the building walls, floor, and/or ceiling and connect a water supply source to each individual fluid discharge outlet, such as toilets, sinks, tubs, showers, etc.
During construction of a building or home, the pipes are fluidically connected or soldered in fixed locations within the building walls. An extension known as a “stub out” is connected to the wall-mounted pipes and projects laterally from the pipes outward from a wall where a discharge outlet is to be provided to a sink, toilet, tub, etc.
Building codes require that the entire plumbing system be checked for leaks. This is accomplished by sweating or brazing test caps on each stub out at the completion of the rough plumbing stage to enable to entire plumbing system to be pressurized.
After successful completion of the pressurize test, the test caps are removed from each stub out, typically by cutting the test caps off of the stub out or applying heat to vaporize the solder to enable removal of the test caps. The individual plumbing fixtures are then be attached to each stub out in a known manner.
The use of such test caps is time consuming, which adds to the overall plumbing cost material and installation for a building or home. Although a skilled plumber can quickly braze a test cap onto a stub out and/or remove the same test cap from the stub out, the number of stub outs in a typically building or home makes this a time consuming and therefore costly task.
It would be desirable to provide a new fluid connection which simplifies and reduces the cost of mounting and removing test caps on building and home plumbing systems.